The main impetus for the contextual zoning application that is wending its way through the public review process (Marty approved it – next up City Planning Commission) is the proliferation of grossly acontextual buildings all over North Brooklyn. No other part of the community has suffered worse than that corner of East Williamsburg just south of the BQE and east of Graham Avenue (dubbed the Luminous Condo Corner). Now, the owner of 444 Graham Avenue is hoping to give the neighborhood one last finger before the contextual rezoning becomes law.

The project is a 14-story, 69 unit residential development on Graham between Frost and Richardson (the former Marino Tile building). Designed by local architect Philip Toscano (still no website for him), the project has been approved by DOB but no permits have been pulled. The site itself is truly wacked – the main frontage is on Graham Avenue, and from there the lot runs some 300′ feet or so down the center of the block, with small pieces facing onto Frost and Richardson.

City Planning is holding a hearing on the contextual rezoning on June 3rd – from there it moves on to the Council and the Mayor to become law. Optimistically, that process will take another four to six weeks – a lot of time to demolish buildings and pour something resembling a foundation. So the race is on.

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